Oregon’s minimum wage will increase on July 1, 2021. How much varies by three different regions of the state. (Courtesy/Oregon Employment Department)
The minimum wage in Salem will increase to $12.75 an hour starting July 1, up from the current $12 an hour.
In 2016, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill that established regular increases in the minimum wage that vary by three different areas of the state. Workers in the Portland area will see the minimum wage rise to $14 an hour, up from $13.25. Non-urban counties will see an increase from $11.50 to $12.
Salem is in the third area that includes most of western Oregon outside of the Portland area.
According to Oregon Employment Department numbers, 5.4% of workers in Marion County, or 9,977, currently make minimum wage. In Polk County, 6.5% of workers, or 1,540, make minimum wage.
The county with the smallest share of minimum wage workers is Sherman County, with 2.8%. The largest is Wheeler County, with 16.9%.
-Jake Thomas
